BOX SCORE I PLAY-BY-PLAY

RICHMOND, Ky. – Freshman Alex Arovits scored on a wild pitch from Phil Wetherell with two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Eastern Kentucky University baseball team a dramatic 5-4 victory over in-state rival Western Kentucky on Wednesday afternoon at Turkey Hughes Field.

EKU (16-29) has now won four of its last five games over WKU (27-18) dating back to 2007.

Arovits opened the bottom of the 11th with a base hit up the middle and went to second when sophomore Dustin Dunlop grounded out to third. After freshman Sean Hagen went down on strikes, sophomore Matt Phipps was hit by a pitch and junior #A.J. Jamison# reached on a crucial error by WKU shortstop Logan Robbins, loading the bases for junior Jacob Daniel. Wetherell’s first pitch to Daniel, however, got past WKU catcher Matt Rice as Arovits scampered down the line and slid into home headfirst for the win.

Sophomore right-hander Anthony Bazzani (1-7) picked up his first win of the season as he retired the Hilltoppers in order in the top of the 11th. Junior lefty Greg Terry started on the hill for EKU and went four solid innings, allowing just one run on five hits.

Wetherell (0-3) picked up the loss for WKU, pitching the final 2.1 innings of the game and allowing only the one unearned run in the bottom of the 11th.

A pair of freshman from New Jersey led the Colonels offensively in the game. Bryan Soloman, from Jackson, N.J., batted 2-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored and his team-leading 14th double of the season, while Steve Ferraro, from Cherry Hill, N.J., also collected two hits on the afternoon.

Kes Carter batted 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored for the Hilltoppers.

EKU was only in a position to win the game in extra innings because of the heroics of senior Ryan Faidley in the bottom of the ninth. With EKU trailing 4-3 and down to its last two outs, Faidley came off the bench cold and provided a pinch-hit RBI single into right center, scoring Arovits to tie the score. The Colonels had a chance to win it in regulation, as Phipps then walked to load the bases with one out, but Jamison popped out and Daniel struck out swinging to end the threat.

After WKU took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second, EKU tied it in the home half of that inning with an RBI base hit to left by sophomore Austin Grisham. The Colonels then took the lead in the bottom of the third as Soloman singled home junior Richie Rodriguez and junior Michael Garcia plated Daniel with a sacrifice fly to right, making the score 3-1.

The Hilltoppers tied it with a pair of RBI extra-base hits by Rice and Carter in the top of the sixth and then took a 4-3 when Jordan Cessna scored on a wild pitch by junior right-hander Matt Fyffe in the top of the eighth.

A double play in the bottom of the eighth squelched a potential Colonel rally, but senior right-hander Ryne Purcell sat the Hilltoppers down in order in the top of the ninth and Faidley delivered the game-saving hit for EKU in the bottom of the ninth.

EKU has now won three straight at home over WKU. The last time the Hilltoppers visited Turkey Hughes Field on March 17, 2009, the Colonels also won on their last at-bat as Jayson Langfels crushed a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to secure an 8-7 victory.

EKU returns to action this weekend when the Colonels host conference foe Murray State in a three-game series at Turkey Hughes Field. Senior Day will be held before Saturday’s first pitch.